I'm okay with being a nerd
I was thrilled last night to meet up with my friend Jenny and attend The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring "In Concert," where the movie was screened as the Munich Symphony played the score, along with the Pacific Chorale, Phoenix Boys Choir, and soloist Kaitlyn Lusk. Oh my goodness! It may have been 9 years since the first time I saw the movie, and I may have seen it a hundred times in that span, but it still grabs my attention.
Both halves of my inner nerd self were satisfied - the fantasy story/literary self and the music major self. Watching the conductor was fascinating. He had a screen of his own, showing the movie, but with different colored scrolling bars to warn him of entrances and cut-offs, and it flashed on the downbeat of every measure to keep him in sync with the film.
Though the sound balance was all off with the movie, it was great to really hear some of the intricacy and detail that I miss in the original score because things are too quiet. The choir was a little oddly miked, but being a choral person, I loved getting to actually hear them above the orchestra. Particularly during the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, where there is this section of utterly delicious male chorus and a chant that just makes my blood thrum. Ooooooh. The soloist was lovely, the boys chorus rather adorable (especially the last little soloist who took a huge breath in the middle of his words, consistently. My favorite was, "we shall waaaa-(breath)-alk in bitter rain...").
I alternated between getting lost in the movie and forgetting that there was a glorious orchestra playing music, and getting lost in watching the music happen and deciphering all the little nuances and forgetting that the movie was still going on. It was a fun flip-flop. It also encourages me that so many of my friends were either there (unbeknownst to me) or jealous of my being there - I must have good taste in people.
As a kind of tangent, I've only ever been to Jobbing.com Arena for the TSO concert in December. I've seen them three years running, and really hope this year will not break the streak! It's absolutely the best live show I've ever been privileged to see. I spend the entire concert with my jaw on the floor and my eyes as far out of my skull as can be and a grin that makes my face ache, or it would if my face hadn't been blown off by the amount of sound, energy, and fantastic laser lights and pyrotechnics coming from the stage. Anyway, going to Westgate makes me think of Christmas (though I've been there once on Halloween, too), so I was walking around full of holiday cheer, even though it wasn't anything remotely holidayesque. Eventually Arizona will get with the program and we'll be able to wear long sleeves. Wishing for boots and scarves weather, a touch of frost in the air or a dusting of snow on the ground is too much to hope, but with lights in the trees and not sweating whilst outside in jeans, I was happy. (Oooooh, I can't wait for Christmas!!)
Both halves of my inner nerd self were satisfied - the fantasy story/literary self and the music major self. Watching the conductor was fascinating. He had a screen of his own, showing the movie, but with different colored scrolling bars to warn him of entrances and cut-offs, and it flashed on the downbeat of every measure to keep him in sync with the film.
Though the sound balance was all off with the movie, it was great to really hear some of the intricacy and detail that I miss in the original score because things are too quiet. The choir was a little oddly miked, but being a choral person, I loved getting to actually hear them above the orchestra. Particularly during the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, where there is this section of utterly delicious male chorus and a chant that just makes my blood thrum. Ooooooh. The soloist was lovely, the boys chorus rather adorable (especially the last little soloist who took a huge breath in the middle of his words, consistently. My favorite was, "we shall waaaa-(breath)-alk in bitter rain...").
I alternated between getting lost in the movie and forgetting that there was a glorious orchestra playing music, and getting lost in watching the music happen and deciphering all the little nuances and forgetting that the movie was still going on. It was a fun flip-flop. It also encourages me that so many of my friends were either there (unbeknownst to me) or jealous of my being there - I must have good taste in people.
As a kind of tangent, I've only ever been to Jobbing.com Arena for the TSO concert in December. I've seen them three years running, and really hope this year will not break the streak! It's absolutely the best live show I've ever been privileged to see. I spend the entire concert with my jaw on the floor and my eyes as far out of my skull as can be and a grin that makes my face ache, or it would if my face hadn't been blown off by the amount of sound, energy, and fantastic laser lights and pyrotechnics coming from the stage. Anyway, going to Westgate makes me think of Christmas (though I've been there once on Halloween, too), so I was walking around full of holiday cheer, even though it wasn't anything remotely holidayesque. Eventually Arizona will get with the program and we'll be able to wear long sleeves. Wishing for boots and scarves weather, a touch of frost in the air or a dusting of snow on the ground is too much to hope, but with lights in the trees and not sweating whilst outside in jeans, I was happy. (Oooooh, I can't wait for Christmas!!)
Comments
Post a Comment